1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cryptographic entangling probes used in communications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, a design was given by H. E. Brandt, “Quantum cryptographic entangling probe,” Phys. Rev. A 71, 042312(14) (2005) [1]. H. E. Brandt, “Design for a quantum cryptographic entangling probe,” J. Modern Optics 52, 2177-2185 (2005) [2] for an optimized entangling probe attacking the BB84 Protocol, C. H. Bennett and G. Brassard, Quantum cryptography: “public key distribution and coin tossing”, Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Computers, Systems, and Signal Processing, Bangalore, India (IEEE, New York, 1984), pp. 175-179 [3] of quantum key distribution (QKD) and yielding maximum Renyi information to the probe for a set error rate induced by the probe. Probe photon polarization states become optimally entangled with the BB84 signal states on their way between the legitimate transmitter and receiver. Standard von Neumann projective measurements of the probe yield maximum information on the pre-privacy amplified key, once basis information is revealed during reconciliation. A simple quantum circuit was found, consisting of a single CNOT gate, and faithfully producing the optimal entanglement. The control qubit consists of two photon polarization-basis states of the signal, the target qubit consists of two probe photon polarization basis states, and the initial state of the probe is set by an explicit algebraic function of the error rate to be induced by the probe. A method was determined for measuring the appropriate probe states correlated with the BB84 signal states and yielding maximum Renyi information to the probe. The design presented in [1], [2] was limited to error rates not exceeding ¼, but is generalized in the instant invention to allow a full range of error rates from 0 to ⅓, H. E. Brandt and J. M. Myers, J. Mod. Optics, 53, 1927-1930 (2006) [4].